The NFL has had a bunch of players who talked trash in the history of the league. The Seattle Seahawks have their share of them.
This is especially true since 2010 when Pete Carroll became head coach. Carroll has always allowed his players to be free to be themselves much more than many other franchises. For example, the way Carroll handles his team is the exact opposite of how the Patriots Bill Belichick handles his.
That makes the Seahawks even more fun, though, doesn’t it? And here are five of the best trash talkers in Seattle football history.
5 best trash talkers in Seattle Seahawks history
Number 5: Marshawn Lynch said a lot by saying a little
Beast Mode trash-talked by not talking. In most respects, Lynch’s disrespect, whether it be to the NFL in general, the media, or other teams, was either non-verbal or in lack of words. But it was every bit as biting as someone who couldn’t stop talking.
For instance, who can’t remember when Lynch showed up to a Super Bowl press conference and said, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” Or, “I’m just ’bout that action boss.” It’s a bit amazing that someone who said so little to the media has so many memorable quotes and websites devoted to them.
But there are also the crotch-grabbing runs of Beast Mode runs 1 and 2 that say so much more in physicality than they ever could in words. Lynch was always smarter than he let on and he was self-aware more than most of us will ever be. That said, what Lynch didn’t say was more important than most people will ever speak.
Number 4: Short-time Seahawks DT John Randle
OK, I am stealing Randle a bit. He will be remembered by most NFL fans as a Minnesota Viking. Still, Randle played for two teams in his NFL career: The Vikings and the Seahawks. In fact, Randle played 43 games for Seattle and had 23.5 sacks and made a Pro Bowl. Due to that, I feel OK claiming him as a Seahawk a bit.
But Randle is one of the all-time masters of trash talk. I am sure he could hold seminars on how to do it. He certainly has been interviewed enough on what he said, how he said it, when he said it and so on. And Randle’s style of play didn’t stop once he got to Seattle.
For Randle, however, trash-talking wasn’t about disrespect for the person in the uniform, just an attempt to upset the player himself and to disrupt an opposing player’s focus on the game. Once the game ended, so did the trash talk for Randle. He was never an issue off the field and wasn’t dirty on the field. Randle just liked to try to get inside the opponent’s head by talking smack to him.
Randle was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He finished his career with 137.5 sacks and was a six-time All-Pro as voted by the Associated Press.
Number 3: Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf likes to talk but can back it up
Metcalf is just three years into his career and might end up being number two on this list by the time he is done in Seattle (no one is likely to ever pass up number one). But Metcalf not only has talked trash but backed that up with extreme production. He was also very good at getting cornerbacks so angry at him in 2020 that he drew several personal foul calls too. That turned against him a bit in 2021, however.
Still, talking on the field is part of Metcalf’s DNA. It does say quite a bit that no one seems to have a bad word about Metcalf once the game is done, however. Maybe he aggravates opposing players but that is, of course, the point of trash talk. It’s clear that no one takes what Metcalf says personally, only as a part of the game.
In fact, the only real negative about Metcalf currently is that he held out of mandatory minicamp this offseason in hopes the Seahawks would work out an extension with him. If you are reading this article years from now, don’t tell me what happens! Let’s just say I hope Metcalf is in Seattle for a long time to come.
And if he is, it will be fun to continue to watch him trade words with opposing players because that is partly what makes Metcalf fun to watch. Plus, you know, he’s really good at his job too and is already 8th all-time in Seahawks history in receiving touchdowns (29 through 2021).
Number 2: Seahawks DT Michael Bennett was a classic on and off the field
Bennett’s trash talk was a bit different because it didn’t stop once he was off the field but it was also mostly hilarious. Yet, at the same, his words could be very poignant and meaningful. Bennett is a super-smart guy to begin with, so it is likely easier to find words that can be biting but also humorous at the same time.
Here are some notable Bennett quips off the field:
“Quarterback is the only position in the NFL where you could be mediocre and get paid.”
“It’s like you look at a girl who looks like you, and you find out it’s your cousin, so you can’t go on a date with her even though you’d like to, because she looks like you. But then you see her friend, and her friend’s really hot, and you’re like, ‘that’s not my cousin,’ so it’s good.”
When asked about signing a “hometown” discount with the Seahawks: “There is no such thing as a discount. This is not Costco, this is not Walmart – this is real life.”
“Black people can’t steal anything from the police, bad things happen. So I never stole it, I borrowed it. That’s the story I’m sticking to.”
There are many Bennett sayings. In fact, he has so much to say that he wrote a book called “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable.” But the book isn’t written simply to antagonize but shine a light as well. It is 100 percent Michael Bennett and that is a special thing.
Number 1: Seahawks CB and undisputed king of trash talk, Richard Sherman
Is there any doubt that the player who was the most vocal member of the Legion of Boom is also the greatest trash talker in Seahawks history? In fact, Richard Sherman might be the best talker of trash in NFL history. He was a physically imposing cornerback, for sure, but his ability to intimidate was also based on his attitude and constant chirping.
Sherman is actually so good at talking smack that even quotes attributed to him that are most likely untrue seem believable. For instance, the meme of Sherman saying, “You mad, bro?” to Tom Brady didn’t really happen on the field but it makes sense that it would.
But Sherman did so much more than “you mad, bro?” Even more classic is his post-2014 NFC Championship game rant about covering Michael Crabtree. Near the end of the game, the 49ers attempted a pass to “sorry receiver” Crabtree that Sherman deflected that turned into an interception and the Seahawks would win the Super Bowl in the next game.
My favorite part about the end of the Sherman “interview” by FOX Sports reporter Erin Andrews is how at the end Sherman says, “LOB!” This basically cemented the Seahawks secondary status as one of the best of all time while making nationally known the moniker for it.
Sherman never stopped talking, though. Now he has turned his reputation for voicing his opinions while also being intelligent about what he is saying into a post-NFL career. Sherman will join Amazon’s Thursday Night Football program as a pregame, halftime and post-game voice. If you weren’t watching the NFL’s Thursday games before you must do so now.